For decades, insecticides have shielded us from malaria—but cracks are showing. Resistance is spreading, and environmental concerns are growing. Could a simple pouch of fruit juice with a powerful secret be the breakthrough we need?

with George Dimopoulos of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute

About The Podcast

The Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute is produced by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute to highlight impactful malaria research and to share it with the global community.

One of the main ways of controlling malaria is to reduce mosquito populations through insecticides. But the mosquitoes are developing resistance, making most insecticides less effective. What if the answer lies beneath our feet?

Transcript

One of the main ways of controlling malaria is to reduce mosquito populations through insecticides. But the mosquitoes are developing resistance, making most insecticides less effective. We need new vector control interventions – what if the answer lies beneath our feet? Researchers from the Dimopoulos Group at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute have turned to an unexpected source of inspiration—soil. They’ve produced a natural biopesticide, derived from a type of bacteria found in soil called Chromobacterium. When you deliver this biopesticide through a sugar bait – which lures the mosquitoes to feed on it – it kills the mosquitoes, regardless of their resistance to insecticides. Additionally, at non-lethal doses, Chromobacterium can enhance the effectiveness of other insecticides, acting as a synergist, as well as making mosquitoes incapable of finding a human to feed on. These findings were first demonstrated in the lab, but have now been confirmed in enclosed field trials in Burkina Faso. It's hoped that this naturally-occurring insecticide could support vector control efforts to curb disease transmission.

Source

Chromobacterium biopesticide overcomes insecticide resistance in malaria vector mosquitoes (Science)

About The Podcast

The Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute podcast is produced by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute to highlight impactful malaria research and to share it with the global community.

The prevention of malaria depends upon multiple layers of interventions that work together to reduce cases and deaths. But what makes someone decide to sleep under a bed net, or apply an insecticidal cream? What makes one person take up more interventions than another? How influential are government-accredited health experts versus friends and family?

With András Vörös, an Associate Professor in Quantitative Methods at the University of Birmingham and Elisa Bellotti, a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Manchester.

About The Podcast

The Johns Hopkins Malaria Minute is produced by the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute to highlight impactful malaria research and to share it with the global community.